Fumar
by Libquedation
Summary: Mal takes a "milk run" job from a very wealthy doctor. The job just so happens to end at a moon covered with volcanoes, and we all know how Mal's luck works.


**This story is going to be post Objects in Space but pre BDM. This story just happened to pop into my head while watching a documentary in class that involved people running away from volcanoes XD It isn't my best piece of writing, but I find it rather enjoyable and hope you readers enjoy it as much as I do! (: **

**Edit: I fixed up some grammatical errors, some bad wordplay, as well as fleshing out some scenes. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Alright, folks!" Malcolm Reynolds exclaimed as he stood at the head of the dining table, rubbing his hands together befo<p>

re hooking his thumbs in his suspenders. "We have ourselves a new job. Mighty exciting one at that."

Everyone looked around the table at each other with eyebrows raised. When Mal said a job was exciting, he tended to get shot.

"When you say that, you tend to get shot. I really don't feel like pulling another bullet out of you, Captain." Simon stated, speaking what was on everyone's minds. Mal shot him a look, but didn't respond and continued on, placing his palms flat on the aged table.

"Well, I shouldn't get shot at this time. It is a perfectly legal smuggling job for a wealthy man by the name of Alexander Cardeu. We are going to receive some packages tonight, and we leave right after, swoop down on the lovely moon we need to visit, then get paid some handsome money."

"With all due respect sir, we should get paid half on delivery of the cargo, half when we deliver it." Zoë said, her hand firmly clasped in Wash's. The pilot was looking fidgety, like he wanted to know right away where they were going so he could leave behind the dreaded "planning phase" behind.

Mal gave Zoë a huge grin, snapping his suspenders. "That's the beauty of it; we are getting paid that way!"

Soft murmurs went up along the crew; they were growing tired of the same protein meals, especially when it was Simon's turn to cook. Somehow, he made the protein taste even worse.

However, the happy murmurs quickly faded to skeptical ones as the crew realized just how badly things seemed to go when it was a "milk run," as Mal tended to put it. The captain seemed to sense the mood was rapidly turning sour.

"Hey, what's with all the long faces? This is a milk run!" He said, giving his trademark grin. Everyone groaned. Mal looked at them appalled. "What?"

"Whenever you say that, I get shot at." Jayne grumbled as he crunched on a stick of celery. Mal looked affronted.

"No you don't! And is that the last piece of celery? I was saving that!"

Jayne raised an eyebrow, before slowly removing the remaining part of the stalk from his mouth and placing it on the table. He looked at it, then at Mal, as if to say "take it then." Mal grimaced.

"On second thought…" Jayne eagerly snatched up the stalk and went back to munching.

"One important part of information seems to be elusive here; which moon are we doing the drop off now?" Wash asked after raising a hand in the air.

Mal looked at him with pursed lips. "It's a wonderful moon, full of wealthy people ready and willing to have perfectly legal smugglers like us take jobs for them!" Wash gave Mal a pointed look. Mal sighed and relented. "Fumar." He whispered quietly.

"Where?" Simon said, mouth open in shock.

"Fumar." Mal said. He snapped his head up and looked at everyone. "Yes, Fumar. I know, I know, he could have picked a better place to have a summer home, but don't blame me! I didn't pick it!" He said, holding his hands up in defense.

"Mal you can't be serious-"

"That's too risky-"

"With your luck-"

"Hey!" Jayne said loudly, stopping mid chew. "What the hell is Fumar?"

"Black ash, nothing in sight; everything covered. No life." A soft voice filtered in, and everyone looked over towards the engine room, seeing River waltz in, a dark red dress adorning her small frame.

"Huh?" Mal asked intelligently. River tossed him a look before slowly stalking over to the counter. She reached into one of the metal cabinets that lined the wall, pulling out a single red apple. She wiped it on her dress that matched the apple's skin before taking a large bite.

"All red, turning to black. Gone with the wind." She said wistfully, before leaving the room slowly, humming a tune no one knew.

The rest of the crew looked at each other for a moment in silence.

"Fumar?" Wash asked exasperatedly. Mal gave him a glare.

"You never answered my question!" Jayne accused, pointing the bottom part of his celery stalk in Mal's direction.

"It's a small moon that the terraforming went bad on. It's covered in dormant volcanoes."

"Volcano?"

"A mountain that shoots burning hot lava and ash miles into the atmosphere." Simon responded in his doctor voice. "When they were terraforming, something went wrong. They had been heating up the moon's core in order to make the frigid weather more hospitable and welcoming to human life, and somehow, the magma caused the tetonic plates to crash into each other really quickly and really harshly, making the moon's crust rise up and form a multitude of volcanoes. In the years since the moon was finished, none have exploded, and it is a very warm and beautiful place if you ignore the constant threat of death. Many rich doctors like to have vacation homes in the valleys or floating islands over the lakes." Simon finished his tirade. Mal stood there with raised eyebrows.

"Okay. Like Simon said, many rich people live there, and that's who we are delivering to. I'm not totally sure about the cargo, but if it's legitimate," Mal ignored the snorts when he voiced his cargo doubts. "Then it doesn't really matter what the cargo is now is it?"

"I am going to go program a course into the computer for tomorrow." Wash said, standing. "However, if a volcano decides to explode because of your luck getting near this planet-"

"Moon!"

Wash gave Kaylee a look, who smiled and waggled her fingers. "If a volcano explodes, I will personally tickle you to tears." With that, Wash abruptly walked into the cockpit, grumbling to himself the whole way.

* * *

><p>That night, Mal stood in the cargo bay as the ship rumbled beneath him as she broke atmo on her way to Fumar. He sighed as he thought about how lucky he had gotten when the crew hardly protested. Granted, they had protested…they always would…he must be slacking in his duties…but they had not defied his orders. That was a start.<p>

"Mal?" The man in question jumped, nearly knocking over one of the crates. He turned and saw Inara staring at him.

"What?"

She sighed, clearly getting ready to start an argument. Mal braced himself for the inevitable onslaught.

"I know I am leaving soon," If she noticed his wince at her words, she chose to ignore it. "But I still need to find some work until then. I will be taking on a client at Fumar, but I promise I will be back before you leave atmo."

Well, this was a new development, Inara being nice and not looking for a fight. Mal decided to take it in stride and chalk it up to his new found luck. The thick wad of money in the ship's safe happily reminded him of that luck. "Alright, have your fun, but I will be holding you to that promise." He said with the flash of a smile. Inara rolled her eyes and walked past him, her shoes ringing against the metal steps. He watched her walk away, trying to forget the pain in his heart at the thought of her leaving for good, and he threw himself back into making sure all the crates were strapped down tight.

Wash was still an unpredictable, crazy flyer.

* * *

><p>"River, you're not going." Simon said as he walked out into the cargo bay, his nerves all jangled. His sister was sitting patiently by the new hovercraft mule, the cargo all ready and loaded. She turned innocent doe eyes on her brother. He groaned mentally when he saw how clear they were; it meant she was pretty lucid and that she was going to be a serious pain in the ass.<p>

"I am."

"No you aren't."

She looked at him, scrunching her face up as Jayne, Zoë, and Mal walked into the cargo bay.

"Doc, fancy seeing you here." Mal said happily, checking the cargo with Jayne one last time, then his sidearm. Then he looked up, confused. "What are you doing here exactly?"

Simon sighed, his hands going up as if to run through his hair, but his manners stopped him. "River is not, NOT, going with you to a planet covered in volcanoes!" He said exasperatedly, turning on Mal, who raised his hands in defense.

"Hey, hey. She came to me, Doc. She threatened to pour soup in my hair too if I didn't! Hot soup too!"

Simon rolled his eyes and grit his teeth before looking up at his baby sister.

"You know what to do in case of trouble, right?"

River rolled her eyes back at her brother. "Do a clownfish and a sea anemone know that in order to survive they must have a symbiotic relationship?" Simon raised an eyebrow, as did everyone else in the cargo bay.

"Promise me you will be okay, please River?"

River sighed dramatically. "Promises are irrelevant because the universe is in constant motion, the future is always changing. Who knows if this universe isn't just some parallel one in which the opposite choices are being made right this very instant?"

Everyone stopped for a moment, frozen mid action, gawking at River. She giggled for a moment. "I will return, Simon. Don't you worry." She said, reaching down and patting his face. She turned and looked up at Kaylee and Wash, who were staying behind with her brother. "Please take care of him for me. He is a big trouble."

Wash grinned largely, trying not to laugh, as Kaylee's hand jumped to her mouth, covering the wide smile as her shoulders shook. Simon stood with his mouth wide open as he glared at River.

"I-I am not trouble! Tell-what?" He said, looking back and forth between the crew and his sister. She gave him an angelic smile, and suddenly that was the catalyst that caused the rest of the crew to double over with laughter. River continued smiling, before leaning closer to her brother.

"I'll be fine. Just more than one thing will spill red today. Your expertise will more likely than not be needed, be ready." She whispered her tone serious and low. Simon looked at her with confusion and concern, but as he was opening his mouth to ask, Mal regained his composure.

"Alright gang, let's get going!" He said, enthusiastically jumping up into the Mule's driver seat, banging his hands in a random rhythm on the metal. River cracked a grin at her Captain's antics.

Jayne and Zoë piled into the Mule as well, and Mal pulled away, leaving the remaining three crew members staring out at the sunny moon of Fumar, the bright green grassy ground, but with an ominous mountain standing in the background on the horizon.

* * *

><p>"So, where are we supposed to be dropping this stuff off now?" Jayne asked from the backseat as the Mule rushed across the smooth moon of Fumar. Forests could be seen clinging to the side of the large volcano, but just smooth grass plains between them. <em>Serenity <em>was parked in the valley between two of the smaller volcanoes which had nothing but grass and shrubs dotting the landscape.

However, in the distance, there was a cluster of buildings surrounded by trees and pleasant landscaping. A few lakes surrounded the town, floating skyplexes visible through the haze.

"There." Mal said pointing towards the town, the white houses with red roofs blinding in the sunlight.

"So not up there?" Jayne asked, pointing skyward. Mal shook his head.

"No, we can't really fly up there can we." He responded with a smirk. Jayne just glared and settled deeper back in the seat. River leaned over.

"There is a huge lake next to the homes that support the flying islands. The water below powers them through a complicated system of-"

"Moonbrain, keep your geniusness to yourself. I don't wanna get no infection of the brain." Jayne said, holding his hand in her face. River poked her tongue out at the large man.

"Jayne, I don't really think the act of using your brain is an infection." Zoë said with a straight face. Jayne grumbled quietly to himself, obviously deciding which battles to fight and which to just give up on.

After a while longer of silent driving, they grew closer to the houses. It was obvious that these were not populated all the time. At least half of the houses had their shutters drawn with overgrown gardens in the yards. The rest had carefully pruned yards and open shutters, but they were awfully quiet.

"This place is giving me the creeps." Jayne said, clutching Vera between his legs, his hands clenching her barrel tight enough so his knuckles turned white. River was slightly shaking, her eyes wide as she tried to take in everything around her, wincing at odd intervals.

Zoë was also a little off put by the homes and their empty eyes. Her trigger finger kept twitching against her leg, almost a reflex.

"Which house, Mal?" She asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the silence of the place.

"The one with the blue door and green trim." Mal said, his gaze looking around for the house he described. Once he found it, he slowly stopped the Mule, and Zoë stood, latching it onto the clamp that would keep the lumbering machine in place.

"River, Jayne, stay with the Mule. Try not to throttle each other." Mal ordered, jumping down the side of the yellow hovercraft. He and Zoë walked up the small stone walkway, knocking on the blue door. He shot a glance towards his second; she looked perfectly calm, but he noticed how the lines at the corner of her eyes were a little more noticeable; she was worried and nervous.

"Hello?" A short, gray haired woman opened the door. She was stocky and solid, looking as if she was someone who was harsh when needed, but a loving person the rest of the times. Mal instantly liked her, but had no idea of who she was.

"Hi. I'm Malcolm Reynolds, dropping off a shipment for Mr. Alexander Cardeu. Is he around?" Mal asked, shaking the hand of the woman. She looked at him intently for a moment, before turning around.

"Alexander! Come down here boy!" She turned back to Mal and Zoë. "I'm sorry he didn't answer the door for you kind folks, he is awful busy." Another moment passed where she shouted over her shoulder. "Alexander! Let's go!"

"Coming Momma!" A man's voice called. Mal could hardly keep his eyebrows at a normal height, he was just itching with curiosity over whether a full grown doctor was still living with his mother.

"Hi, I'm Alexander Cardeu." A tallish man pushed his mother out of the way. "Mom, why don't you go finish up the blanket you're knitting?" He said, subtly telling her to get lost. Mal couldn't help but like the guy at the gentle way he treated his mother. She bowed her head and waddled down the hallway before Alexander stepped out of the house and shut the door.

"You must be Mal Reynolds I presume." The man said, running a hand through his speckled gray hair. He took off his glasses and rubbed a hand over his eyes for a moment before letting a jaw-splitting yawn burst forth. At this, Mal did raise his eyebrows, and he noticed how Zoë fought to keep her smile down.

"I'm being a terrible host. I really can't thank you enough for everything Captain. I really needed this shipment, so thank you." Alexander said, flashing a smile at the two crew members. Mal smiled back, before shifting on his feet.

"Yeah, where do you want it? I'm kinda worried if we don't unload it, our other two crew members will kill each other and ruin whatever is in those crates." He said with a grin that was half serious, half joking. Alexander tried not to smirk as he pointed further on in the yard.

"That's my storehouse entrance. You'll find that it has stairs leading underground into a large cellar. Just place the crates down there, and I'll go get your payment!" He said, turning around and walking back into the house. "Oh, by the way, you can drive your transport up closer to it if you wish. I really don't care if you ruin my grass; the gardener needs something to do this time of year anyway."

Mal was a little stunned for two reasons; one was because of the utmost generosity this man was displaying, the second reason being that everything was turning out better than he expected it even to.

"We will get right on that." Mal said, giving the man a quick salute before turning and walking quickly back towards the Mule, where Jayne and River were in the middle of a heated argument.

"Listen here you two! Strap in, we are moving the Mule, then the cargo!" Mal said, rubbing his hands together before hopping in, letting Zoë drive the Mule over to the small warehouse. The company then unloaded the boxes. Much to Jayne's chagrin, River didn't do anything besides sit and look pretty in the hovercraft, even though she claimed she was untying the straps that had held the crates in place.

"Here you go! I can't thank you enough, and I know it was last minute, so I threw in some extra money. Thank you again." Alexander said as he handed a bag over to Mal, who peeked inside just to double check.

"Thanks. In case you ever need us to ship something again, you know how to reach us." Mal said, trying not to get his hopes up too much that this job was going perfectly.

* * *

><p>Inara watched as the young man, by the name of Jackson Smitherson slowly made his move, his hand reaching over slowly, nimble fingers moving in a skilled manner.<p>

"Rook takes king." The tan man flashed a white smile up at her. "Checkmate."

Inara gave him a toothless smile in return. "Well played. I did not expect that last move there."

"And that is why it is so perfect." Jackson said, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head. "Now, do you wish to tour my grand estate?" He asked, waving his hand around behind him towards the remainder of the floating island. Inara smiled, composing herself some more to play the part of dutiful Companion.

"Yes, that would be lovely."

Jackson smiled again before standing and offering his arm to her. Inara took it and the two went off to walk the rest of the garden of the skyplex. In the distance, she could see the small township that she knew the crew was dropping off the cargo at, and all around, the tall peaks of the volcanoes.

"I am very lucky to have been able to ask for your presence before you were taken off the active Companion list." Jackson said casually as they strolled along a sidewalk amongst the plants, his bodyguard not that far behind. "Why are you removing yourself? If you don't mind me asking that is. I know I am rather forthcoming about it, but I find I can express myself a lot easier if I do not do the political beating around the bush."

Inara took a moment to think about how she was going to word her answer, while not revealing too much about her emotions considering the subject.

"I have decided that I would enjoy being able to teach younger trainees in the arts of Companionship. Many of my sisters have said that it would be wonderful if someone as myself could help spread the knowledge that is being lost as smaller groups of girls come into our Training Houses each generation. I feel it is time for me to give up the travelling life and become a teacher to the younger generations."

Jackson nodded from beside her. "Very good reasons. I have heard a few rumors from other Companions that you had fallen in love with a man, but I am glad to hear that is not true." He said, smiling from beside her. Inara smiled back, but inside of her, her heart was twisting in agony, and her stomach clenched.

They walked along for a while longer, chatting about simpler, less personal things. Eventually, the pair ended up at the edge of the floating paradise. It was blocked by a thick glass wall that extended a solid 10 feet in the air. Inara let go of Jackson's arm and walked up to the glass, placing her hand along the railing that was at the height of about four feet up the glass wall. Her breath was taken away at the beauty of the scene in front of her.

A large lake extended for at least a mile or so from what she could see. Growing up from the outer banks of the lake was miles of forest and shrubbery. Random patches of other colors could be seen among the forestry, as well as small ponds and streams. The forest quickly turned into a jungle as it crawled up the sides of the mountains that were rampant on the small moon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jackson said from her side. Inara turned to look at him, a smile on her face, before the island began shaking. She raised an eyebrow, her hands wrapping around the railing and gripping it tightly as the shaking grew more intense, and to her horror, she watched as a large wave suddenly rose from the lake and surged towards the banks. Her mouth dropped, all decorum lost as she watched the wave overtake the banks, washing over everything in its path. She turned to Jackson, utterly stunned.

"What in the hell just happened?"

* * *

><p>Simon swirled his chopsticks in his small bowl of rice, the only other option besides protein. He shoveled another bite into his mouth, desperately wishing it was anything else. Kaylee was tinkering away in the engine room, humming to herself quite loudly. Simon was sitting on the floor outside of <em>Serenity's <em>inner workings, just content being close to her. Kaylee's bowl of rice sat on the floor near his foot, half empty. He had brought one to Wash not so long ago, the pilot thanking him before continuing to play with his dinosaurs.

It was almost too quiet for Simon's liking. He was trying and struggling not to worry about the job and what was going on with River. He knew that he needed to let her grow, but it was just so gorram difficult when he was used to worrying and coddling her. It was just a part of him.

"Simon, honey, could you hand me the wrench by my feet? I can't really get to it." Kaylee asked. At the sound of her voice, Simon leapt to his feet and scurried over.

"Kaylee, there's like 10 wrenches by your feet." He said, shaking his head with a smile on his face. She lashed out with her foot and managed to kick him in the shin. "Ow!"

"You deserved it for being a smart ass." She said, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "The black and blue one." She finished, and Simon instantly picked it out. It was the only wrench that was another color besides gray or silver. He handed it to her, and felt a small spark as their hands touched, causing a smile to grace his face.

"Thanks, Simon." She said brightly, continuing to work on the belly of the ship. She went back to humming her song and Simon stood up, brushing off his pants as he walked over towards the hammock. Right as he reached it, the whole ship suddenly shook, causing the doctor to fall face first into the hammock. It swung back and forth as the ship continued to shudder.

"What in the rutting hell was that?" Simon asked, more than a little perturbed. He stood up, a little shaky, as Kaylee rolled out from under _Serenity,_ a little shaken herself. She shook her head.

"Not the ship. Wash?" She asked, her hand on the intercom.

"I'm reading that it was an earthquake."

"An earthquake?" Simon asked, furrowing his brow. Kaylee scrunched up her lips.

"Anything we should worry about?" She asked. Simon could almost hear Wash hitting buttons, trying to figure something out.

"Uh, you two may want to come up here." At that tone of voice, Simon's eyes widened, and he grabbed Kaylee's hand, pulling her along as they ran through the ship, trying not to trip.

"What is it?" Simon asked, his mind running at a couple hundred miles per minute.

"Looks like we picked the worst time possible to do a drop off here. There is an awful lot of seismic activity, and the core of the moon is heating up."

"Ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng." Simon said, hitting the co-pilot's console with his hands. Kaylee widened her eyes at his outburst.

"Can you contact everyone else? Tell them to get back now?" Simon asked, looking up at Wash. The pilot nodded, reaching over and tapping in the com frequencies for Mal and Inara.

* * *

><p>As the Mule sped over the landscape, the back significantly lighter, but their pockets significantly fuller, the com in Mal's ear suddenly exploded with Wash's voice.<p>

"_MAL? MAL! Can you hear me?!" _

"Ow, gorram it Wash!" Mal yelled, holding his hands to his ears. "What in the hell is the matter?" He asked, more than a little aggravated.

"_Mal, you need to get back now, the planet's gonna-" _

The com quickly cut out to static, causing Mal to rip it out of his ear. "What the hell?"

"Children playing, not touching the floor, it is covered in lava. All gone." River said, before the Mule shuddered as the ground below it did. River let out a whimper, shaking as the ground groaned before splitting in two right next to them. The passengers of the Mule yelped in surprise, Jayne sliding over into River's seat, causing them to be squished, Mal shouting at Zoë to steer them out of there, Zoë struggling to keep the Mule from falling over the edge and into the pit.

Finally, Zoë managed to yank the Mule off from alongside the split in the moon's crust, only to have it end up imbedded in a large shrub. River and Jayne were thrown off the side of the Mule, her landing on top of his large frame. He let out an 'oof' as the wind left his lungs.

"Moonbrain, get offa me!" He growled, lifting her up and placing her on her feet. She was shaking, looking up at the mountain before them. Jayne noticed her reaction and looked up just in time to see a plume of ash leave the top of the mountain, a low rumbling noise erupting all around them. The leaves of the surrounding plants trembled and the sounds of a hundred animals screeching in terror reached their ears. He turned to look at River, whose eyes were wide as could be.

"Mal?" Jayne shouted, looking around for the Mule. The mercenary hadn't thought that the pair had been thrown very far from the hovercraft, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Mal?"

"They're gone, leaving." River said from beside him. Jayne looked down and she looked up into his eyes, looking very scared. "We need to go, now!" She said, grabbing his big hand and yanking him along behind her as they crashed through the forestry.

"Cap'n would never leave us." Jayne protested. River shook her head as she ducked under a low hanging branch.

"Pushed the thought to them. They're going back."

Jayne stopped dead in his tracks, fear and confusion filling him. "You did what?"

River turned and looked at him, her eyes wide and pleading. "Got to go." She said, throwing another look up to the rumbling volcano. Jayne's heart leapt to his throat as he saw even more ash leaving the top of it, and that ash was alit from below with an eerie red glow.

"C'mon." He shouted, literally grabbing River and throwing her forward as they pushed on through the forest.

* * *

><p>"Sir, we can't just leave them!" Zoë protested as Mal pushed her out of the driver's seat and took control of it.<p>

"River knows they'll be safe, we need to leave now!" He said as he threw the hovercraft into drive, pushing out of the shrubbery on the outside of the forest. A huge rumble exploded from behind them, and they both turned around for a moment only to see lava pouring out of the top of the volcano, ash billowing into the air. "Contact Wash!"

"Wash? Baby, can you hear me?" Zoë asked into the com, praying the static from before was gone.

"_We are getting ready to take off. Where are you?" _

"In the open plains. We don't have Jayne and River with us."

"_What? Why?" _

Zoë sighed, and winced as Mal made a sharp turn to avoid a large tree before continuing. "They fell off, but Jayne has his com. Tell Simon not to worry, we will get them."

Wash groaned in her ear. "_He's right here you know. In the air." _

"Look for us."

"_See you in a moment." _

From the distance, Mal and Zoë watched as their home lifted off and started flying in their general direction. Zoë shot a glance over to Mal to see a small smile on his face.

"At least they'll be able to see us. I always said yellow was an awful color, but now I can't help but think it is my new favorite."

Even Zoë couldn't help but crack a smile at that.

* * *

><p>"Jayne!" River screeched, yanking on his hand as a fireball landed on the ground right where he had been. The man growled as his skin burned at the proximity to the fire, but they kept on pushing through the brush.<p>

"You know where you going?" He shouted over the rumbling roar of the volcano and the whistling of the fireballs that kept hitting the ground near them. He yanked River to his side as a fireball landed in a small stream they were running along, splashing them both. River tripped, her foot caught on a root. Jayne yanked her to her feet, shoving her along the riverbank ahead of them. She came to an abrupt halt and spun around, shoving herself into his front. He wrapped his arms around her as fire erupted in front of them, burning his front and her back. She shrieked from inside his embrace, and without a moment's hesitation, the pair jumped into the stream beside them. It was shallow, only up to their knees, but it helped sooth the burns and they managed to escape the fire.

As they ran through the water, slipping on the stones, River froze, her eyes glazing over.

"Riv, come on!" Jayne cried, trying to move the girl, who was suddenly a dead weight. Jayne nervously looked around as the trees toppled under the fireballs, and he dared a glance up to the top of the volcano, fear welling up inside him as he noticed how far down the lava had travelled.

"Come on!" He shouted, trying to pull her along.

She blinked, and when her eyes opened, she looked straight at Jayne. "Come on!" She yelled, grabbing his hand and running through the lake as fast as she could, the man and girl running side by side as the forest erupted all around them.

* * *

><p>"How could you leave her?" Simon shouted as he stalked towards Mal, Kaylee hurrying along behind Simon, looking like a frightened puppy. Mal jumped down from the Mule and started towards the stairs. Simon stepped in his path, but Mal kept on going, hitting the doctor's shoulder.<p>

"I know where they will be, that's how. Don't try to stop me again, Doc, cause you will get mowed down." Mal said as he continued up the stairs as fast as he could, disappearing in the direction of the cockpit.

"WASH!" Mal shouted, going over towards the pilot, who was keeping the ship in the air as best as he could with the fireballs that were raining down all around them. A slight sheen of sweat covered his face, his knuckles white as he flew with one eye on the sensors, the other outside looking at the volcanoes.

"Uh, yeah Mal?"

"Matheger's Cliff, that's where they'll be."

Wash would have questioned how Mal knew that if he wasn't busy trying to avoid three fireballs all in a row.

"Thanks." Wash said, before firing _Serenity's _thrusters and heading off towards the largest volcano in the area, meaning of course, it was the one with the cliff. Lava flowed from its mouth, fireballs as large as _Serenity's _shuttles plummeting into the rainforest.

"Just dandy."

* * *

><p>"You have to trust me like the lamb trusts the shepherd!" River shouted over the noise of the flames and the whistling of the fireballs all around them. Jayne's hand tightened around hers, and she felt that it was in anger and in unhappiness and distrust. She grimaced at the onslaught of malevolent feelings.<p>

"Jayne, we won't live if you don't trust me!"

At that, Jayne was the one who grimaced as they ran forward. As they reached the end of the tree line, their eyes landed on the sharp cliff edge. River stopped as a fireball landed right in front of them, causing them to fall backwards as a wave of heat rushed over their bodies. Jayne's arms instinctively wrapped around River, trying to shield her from the majority of the heat as the fire licked across them. They scrambled backwards and leapt to their feet.

"What's the plan?" He asked wildly. She turned her gaze to him, looking nervous herself.

"Daddy will come and open his arms for us to jump into them. We just need to trust he will catch us." She said, her eyes trained over the cliff.

Jayne cursed as _Serenity _rose up over the edge of the cliff, hovering, not wanting to touch down for fear of getting hit by a fireball. There was a solid two yards between the ship's open cargo bay and the edge of the cliff.

"Come on you two, before the lava gets you!" Mal shouted from inside the ship. The pair dared a look behind them to see the lava they had been trying to outrun right behind them. Jayne and River's eyes met.

"Last one there has kitchen duty!" River shouted, sprinting towards the ship. Jayne was right behind her, ready to help her if needed.

"You can make it!" Simon shouted, holding on to one of the stair railings from fear of somehow falling out of the ship. River nodded, and Simon's heart leapt to his throat as he watched his sister launch herself off of the cliff, landing on the ship's ramp in a roll. Jayne landed right next to her, but farther back, and began sliding backwards as Wash piloted the ship away from the oncoming lava.

"Mal!" The mercenary shouted, clearly terrified as his grip as he slid backwards, most of his body hanging off of the ramp. Mal dove forward, latching his hands around Jayne's wrists, pulling him up and onto the ship as the ramp closed, causing Jayne to fall straight on top of Mal.

"Ugh, I'm restricting your diet." Mal groaned as Jayne rolled off of his chest.

"Sir, we aren't out of this yet." Zoë said from beside them as Simon and Kaylee embraced River. She was shaking uncontrollably, her gaze continuously going up towards where Inara's shuttle would be docked.

"Inara." Mal whispered, leaping to his feet and racing back up the stairs, his heart in his throat. _Please let her be okay…_

"WASH! Where is Inara!" Mal demanded as he exploded onto the bridge, Wash keeping _Serenity _relatively stable as he weaved in and out of the still falling fireballs.

"She said she is going to meet us once we break atmo. She got out a while ago, don't worry."

Mal felt dizzy with relief, and sat down in the co-pilot's chair, letting a sigh escape his lungs as _Serenity _broke atmo. But then his eyes drifted towards the small moon of Fumar, and his throat constricted as memories assaulted him. All over the small moon, red-hot patches were forming as lava spilled out of the volcanoes, the clouds growing black as ash filled the air. The images of Shadow's destruction flit through Mal's mind, and he abruptly tried to shut them down.

_Serenity _slightly shuddered as Inara's shuttle docked with the larger Firefly, and Mal leaned back, turning his gaze from the moon and blocking the depressing thoughts from his mind, instead focusing on the positives.

"At least I didn't get shot at."


End file.
